Ball-rolling machine



April 21, 1925. 1,534,726

4 F. E. MARCY BALL ROLLING MACHINE Filed Nov. 22. 1922 Patented Apr. 21, 1925.

Emil! EARL MARGY, F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

BALL-ROLLING MACHINE.

Application filed November To all whom it may 00mm.-

' grooved rolls 10 and 11 mounted on horizon.

Be it known that I, FRANKEARL MARGY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los'Angeles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ball- Rolling Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ball rolling machines and is intended as an improvement upon a general type of machine, themselves well known in the art of ballmaking,

It is thegeneral object of theinvention to provide a, machine of the class referred to which operates to produce solid balls of uniformly smooth surface.

It is another object to providea machine of a higher speed of production than has been obtainable heretofore by similar machines. I

The principles of operation will appear more fully from the specification and the drawings forming a part thereof.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is an elevation of a machine embodylng the invention; j

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sect-ionshowing a detail on a larger soale;.and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of thesame detail. The machine comprises principally two tal axes and horizontally movable relatively to each other. The shaft of roll 11 may be mounted in stationary bearings 12 upon a base 13 while the shaft of roll 10 may be mounted in bearings 14 forming a part of a sliding carriage 15 which may be reciprocated upon the base by any suitable means. preferably a hydraulic motor 16.

The rolls are rotated by means of gears 17 and 18 driven through a common gear 19 upon a drive shaft 20 carrying a drive pulley 21. The ro'lls therefore rotate in the same direction while the opposing faces thereof move in opposite directions.

The arrangement so far described represents a construction well known in the art and does not form partof the invention proper.

One of the novel features is means for moving one of the rolls transversely of the 22, 1922. Serial N0. 602,647.

which this transverse movement or axial movement of the rolls may be carried out, I preferably provide means for moving the roll 11, or in general the roll Which is mounted in stationary bearings. As a convenient means for carrying out the axial movementI provide one end of the shaft of roll 11 with a disk-shaped head 22 confined in a corresponding slot 23 of a slide shoe 24. The slide shoe 24 is movable transversely of theshaft and its lateral faces form an angle with the shaft, which is slightly different from a right angle. I The slide shoe 2 1 is in contact on opposite sides with stationary members whose contact faces are correspondingly inclined relatively to the shaft.

By moving the slide shoe 24 in one direction or the other, the roll 11 is moved to one side or to the opposite respectively. For effecting the .movement I prefer to use hydraulic motor 25. 1

Centrally between the rolls 10 and 11 are disposed stop elements 26 the upper surfaces of which are beveled downwardly in the direction of roll 10. The disposition of the beveled surfaces is such that the horizontal center line of the balls is always below the horizontal plane through the axes of the rolls. The stops, as is understood, are, at least at the top, of a cross-sectional configuration corresponding approximately to the cross-sectional area of the meeting grooves on the rolls, so that the rolls may be brought in contact with one another without interference.

At the opposite ends of the rolls 10 and 11 are supported on the base 13 rollers 27, the uppermost points of the peripheral surface of which are substantially in alignment with the upper surfaces'of the stop elements, such that the rod stock from which the balls are to be formedrests, durin the first part ofthe operation which may be termed the cutting operation, upon the stops as well as the rollers 27.

The stop elements 26 are preferably waterv cooled, as more or less diagrammatically indicated in Fig.3 in which a cooling pipe 29 leads into a bore 30 in the sto element.

The operation of the mac ine described is as follows: v

Rod stock of the proper length is placed upon the stops-and the rollers 27 while the roll 10 is in retracted position away from roll 11. Roll 11 at the same time is in its normal position or in alignment with roll 10.

The hydraulic motor 16 is now gradually operated to force roll 10 toward roll 11. By means of the frictional contact between the rod and the rollers on opposite sides thereof turning in opposite directions, the rod is turned about its own axis while the sharp edges of the rolls out deeper and deeper into it. It is to be noted that due to the position of the center line of the rod slightly below the plane through the axes of the rolls there is no tendency of the ball to rise. To the contrary the portions'comprised between the corresponding grooves of the two rolls are crowded down upon the faces of the stop elements with considerable pressure so that these faces operate as forming elements.

As soon as the roll 10 has reached its final position substantially in contact with roll '11, i. e. as soon as the cutting operation is completed, the motor 25 is set into operation causing the roll 11 to move axially forth and back. This movement alternately crowds the ball against opposite walls of the grooves on rolls 10 and 11 respectively whereby the ball is given a composite movement. While the rolls 10 and 11 are in alignment, the balls tend to rotate or rotate about an axis parallel to the shafts of the rolls. As soon as roll 11 is moved to one side, the points of greatest .frictional contact shift from the bottom of the grooves laterally and gradually toward the diametrically opposite edges of the respective grooves. The axis of rotation at the same time and as a consequence thereof shifts from a line parallel to the two shafts toward a.line at right angle thereto. W'hen roll 11 is now moved backward, the axis of rotation shifts again toward the original position, but as the movement is continued it shifts to a position substantially or nearly 180 from the extreme position before reached.

The material of the balls is thus rolled about axes at different angles varying nearly 180. The manner of operation is largely a matter of skill. The movement of the roll nated. The finished ball has a uniformly smooth surface.

A skilled operator has absolute control of the process of formation. This is a very important advantage over constructions of the prior art.

The rollers 27 are instrumental in maintaming the portions of the rod stock which project beyond the ends of the rollers in alignment with the portions in the grooves and thus insures a uniform cutting operation without interference of the ends of the stock.

The bevel surfaces of the stop elements 26 have a dual function. They serve the purpose to produce a better forming action and also to cause the finished balls to roll ofi when roll 10 is being retracted. To hasten the rolling off, I propose to use a rod 32 extending upwardly along the side of each stop 26 which terminates in the high edge of the bevel face. This rod may be operated by a treadle 33 and crank lever connection or cam 3A.

The practical significance of the appa ratus may be fully appreciated by comparing its operation with grooved rolls asheretofore used. Assume that a piece cut off from a stock bar or rod has a volume just suflicient to theoretically produce a ball of the diameter defined by the meeting grooves of the two rolls and having a certain density. Since with machines of the prior art, the rotation takes place only about an axis parallel to the axes of the rolls the forging action takes place principally only from the bottom of the grooves inwardly toward the center of the mass. The mass is continuously squeezed in vertical direction and then again pressed inwardly in horizontal direction. The process is in fact more of a squeezing process than a forging process, since the uniformity'of rotation allows the material to yield without finding high resistance opposing the pressure exerted.

In the arrangement proposed, movement 11 may at times be gradual and then again of one roll relatively to the other causes abrupt. The more the balls approach their final form, the more gentle must be the movement of the roll 11 to put on the final touches and the rolls 10 and 11 remain in alignment at the end of the forming operation.

The arrangement has the great advantages that material of the balls is subjected to compacting forces in all directions and always from diametrically opposite points at the same time. At the same time the forming process is hastened particularly by the relatively quick movements of roll 11 which cause sudden and quick shifting of the axis 'of rotation of the ball. Marks of demarkationsuch as grooves, which are the result of rotation about the same axis, are elimisudden lateral displacement of the mass which does not allow the mass to slowly yield. The symmetry of rotation is disturbed and the unequally projecting parts of the mass are forcibly brought into a smaller space for rotation so that a real forging action takes place effecting a condensation of the material to a greater extent and in a shorter time than is possible with the apparatus of the prior art.

In case of a theoretical surplus of material, a ball can be readily formed'with the apparatus described, although the density will be correspondingly increased, while with apparatus of the prior art, a ball would either be oval or require a very long time to reduce it to a sphere.

reserves 1 claim: 1. In a ball-rolling apparatus, the combination with co-acting grooved ball-forming rolls and means for moving one ofthe rolls toward and away from the other roll, of means disposed between the rollsbelow the center plane thereof for effecting a forming action upon the balls, said means comprising upwardly directed posts in alignment with the grooves of the rolls, having top surfaces sloping from one side to the other in the direction of rotation of the rolls.

2. Construction according to claim 1 in which the top surfaces of the posts slope toward the movable roll, whereby the discharge of the balls is promoted when the movable roll is moved away from the other roll.

3. In a ball-rolling apparatus, the combination with co-acting grooved ball-forming rolls, of means disposed between the rolls below the center plane thereof for co-operating with the grooves of the rolls to effect the forming action and means for effecting cooling of the said means.

4:. Apparatus according to claim 1 including means for cooling the posts.

5. Apparatus according to claim 3 in which the posts are hollow and the cooling means comprise means for passing a cooling liquid into the interior of the posts.

6. In a ball-rolling apparatus, in combination with co-acting grooved ball-forming rolls one of which is movable toward and away from the other roll, of stop elements intermediate the rolls, having their upper surfaces disposed below the plane through the axes of the rolls and rollers disposed adjacent the opposite ends of the rolls so that the uppermost surface thereof is substantially in alignment with the upper surfaces of the stop elements.

In testimony whereof, l affix my signature.

FRANK EARL MARCY. 

